• Use of psychoactive plants dates to earliest societies
  • mix of medicine & spirituality
  • 6,000 years ago, Opium = ‘joy plant’

• Hieroglyphs show prominent use in Ancient Egypt
  • belief that certain plants have spiritual properties
  • ashwagandha, lotus, reed, acacia, henbane, opium

• ‘Spirit Molecule’ in indigenous tribes of the Amazon
  • Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna shrub
  • molecule ‘DMT’ powerful hallucinogen

• DMT from Acacia used in many cultures
  • ‘Golden Wattle’ is botanical emblem of Australia

• Affect nervous system by influencing neurotransmitters
  • or mimicking them
  • neurons → transmitters → receptor
  • inhibitory or excitatory

• Psychoactives can be stimulants, hallucinogens or depressants
  • narrow line between medicinal, psychoactive & toxic

• Stimulants = excite and enhance mental alertness
  
• Hallucinogens = change perception
  
• Depressants = dull mental awareness & induce sleep
  

• Narcotics depression central nervous system
  • also defined as addictive

• Psychoactive plants fall into both categories

• Active compounds are mostly alkaloids
  • contain nitrogen, bitter, affect CNS

• Many angiosperms families contain psychoactive alkaloids
  • nightshade, poppy, coffee, coca, nutmeg & morning glory

• Opium use tied to history of China
  • use increased when tobacco was introduced (1600)
  • addiction increased, banned by Emperor

• Addiction fueled by trade with British!
  • Chinese had no interest in European goods
  • wanted silver or Opium

• British East India Company smuggled in opium
  • opium widely cultivated in India

• Chinese gov’t tried to stop smuggling
  • 2 Opium Wars, starting in 1839
  • 25% of Chinese addicted

• More than 20 alkaloids identified in Opium

• Morphine = named after Greek god of dreams
  • first active principle isolated
  • unsurpassed in pain relief
  • depresses areas in brain involved in pain perception
  • highly addictive

• Codeine is one of the most commonly used opiates
  • oral analgesic
  • 1/5 as strong as morphine
  • suppresses coughs

• In 1898, BAYER introduced heroin
  • believed was a nonaddictive opiate
  • semi-synthetic used widely over-the-counter
  • Americans could order from Sears

• Heroin is actually 6x more addictive than morphine
  • no longer medicinally used in USA
  • no longer legally produced in USA

• India still produces heroin for medicine

• Middle east and Asian countries large illegal production

• Cannabis sativa is a dioecious plant, with resin production on trichomes
  • resin is source of psychoactive compounds
  • native to central Asia, grown globally

• Marijuana is highly variable is size and growth
  • potentially 3 separate species

• Used for various purposes in many cultures
  • hallucinogen, fiber, oil

• Use of Cannabis traced to ancient China
  • valued from fiber and medicine
  • Emperor Nung (5,000 years ago) recommended for medicine

• Ancient nomadic Asian horsemen first records of smoking
  • ritual ceremonies ~500 B.C.

• Spread from Asian to India ~600 B.C.
  • folk medicines use extensively
  • 1 of 5 sacred plants
  • bhang (variety) sold outside Hindu temples

• Europeans cultivated hemp fibers for centuries
  • use as psychoactive around 19^th century

• Rumored Napoleon’s armies popularized smoking
  • popular in Paris (1850’s) among intellectuals

• US from Mexico or Caribbean (~1900)
  • recreational and over-the-counter medicine
  • eliminated medicinal use

• Federal Marijuana Tax Act (1937)
  • gov’t ‘educational campaigns’

• Chemistry of Cannabis is unique phenolic compounds
  • cannabinoids not alkaloids
  • THC (psychoactive) identified in 1964

• THC concentration varies by strain, sex, climate & growing conditions
  • effects include euphoria and calmness

• Regions of the brain contain cannabinoid receptors
  • THC receptors in high densities in several brain areas
  • THC receptors found in immune system cells
  • THC mimics naturally produced cells for these receptors

• Modern history begins with isolation of cocaine in 1850’s
  • Sigmund Freud was a huge advocate

• Cocaine became over-the-counter drug in the USA
  • effective in draining sinuses and curing headaches
  • Coca-wine one of the most popular beverages

• In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist created Coca-Cola
  • ‘brain tonic’
  • cocaine removed in 1903

• Widespread use evident in 19th & 20th century literature
  • Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user

• Nicotania is a genus of 65 species
  • annual herb w/ large leaves
  • native to Americas & Australia
  • cultivated in Andes ~5000 B.C.

• Nicotine is major alkaloid in tobacco
  • most addictive plant psychoactive in widespread use

• Mayans & Aztecs used for pleasure, rituals and medicines
  • 2 Mayan gods were depicted as habitual smokers

• Modern cigarette appears in Europe after Crimean war
  • first cigarette machine in 1881
  • really increased after WW1

• One of the most toxic plants poisons
  • ingestion of a few drops is lethal
  • carcinogen

• Acts as a stimulant on the CNS

• Acts on the peripheral nervous system
  • blocks heat, pain & hunger signals
  • increases heart rate

• Tobacco industry now on the defensive
  • advertising and promotion banned